Chapter 3 - Social Integration

Aerith knew that Connor was following her the next morning. He kept a distance, and despite his best efforts to be invisible, he stuck like a sore thumb in the slums. A blue jacket, black tie, and leather shoes - he looked like someone that would belong in Sector 8's business district.

Normally, Aerith would have taught stalkers a lesson or two but she knew Connor wasn't ordinary. Especially after the events of last night.

I am not alive. Please, do not worry about me.

It became a little game - how good was Connor in chasing? Aerith delivered all the requested flowers within an hour to her customers, but it could have been achieved half the time if she didn't take unnecessary paths. Aerith amused herself climbing on top of the scrap heaps, navigating through the maze of towering metal. In luckier days there were spare parts she could pick up for some extra gil.

The android trailed behind. Aerith caught him flipping and tossing a coin whenever he stopped. One time she caught him staring blankly at nothing, as motionless as a statue.

Aerith seized the chance the next time Connor took out his coin to play. All it took for her was to squeeze between some boxes, duck under a pipe or two, and climb above a small, abandoned shanty to sneak behind Connor's back. The woman jumped on the android. "Gotcha!"

"Hello, Aerith." Connor didn't jolt or showed any physical reaction to Aerith's surprise.

"Happy to see me again?" Aerith crossed her arms and grinned at him. She was tempted to ask again about last night but waited for him to bring up the topic if it was his intent. He seemed okay outwardly, Aerith mused. Last night he was covered in mud, clothes crumpled and his LED glowing red. Now Connor's ring was back to blue, shirt perfectly ironed. He smelled strongly of laundry detergent.

Connor tilted his head slightly, keeping a neutral expression. "I wanted to talk to you but I was thinking of the best approach. I apologize for following you around, but you just move around so fast."

Aerith hummed, Connor seemed sincere. "And now we're talking. See? It wasn't so hard."

"Are you busy today?" Connor asked and Aerith shook her head.

"Whatever it is, I'll make time for you." The woman winked.

The android fixed his tie and gave her a gentle smile. "My internal clock says it's now 8:42 AM. If you're free later noon, would you like to join me for lunch?"

"Lunch?" Aerith blinked. "What a very tempting offer, I wonder..?" She would have said yes in a heartbeat, but she wanted to see how Connor would react. He looked confident, not breaking eye contact.

"It'll be my treat, consider it as a thank you for yesterday." He leaned closer. "So, what do you say?"

Aerith could hardly believe it when she arrived at Jimmy's Cafe. She had to double-check if she got the location correct, as she had never ventured near Sector 5's gated Shinra communities. A server by the door greeted her and confirmed a reservation. Scented, cool air filled her mixed with the sugary smells of cakes displayed by the counter. "How middle class," she murmured.

Her lunch "date" sat in a perfect posture, hands folded on his lap, staring blankly at the flowers on the table, plastic ones to be precise. It was reminiscent of Aerith's first day at a daycare when she was told to wait and behave until an adult arrives. "And there is Connor, sitting at the corner." Aerith flashed him a wide smile.

"Hello, Aerith." Connor's greeting was delayed. His ring glowed yellow as he slightly tilted his head. "You look lovely."

"Thank you for the compliment, Connor." Aerith sat down and straightened her skirt. "But, I'd like you to elaborate." She leaned forward, chin resting on her palm, watching how his blue lights shifted again to yellow. It was nice to figure out his body language.

"I really like your dress. I think the floral embroidery reflects you as a person, and they're very colorful." He said each word like they were a product of intense contemplation, and he was proud of himself. Connor was just so sincere. "Did you make it yourself?

Aerith held back grinning and just nodded. The server handed her the menu and everything in it was just beautiful. "Whoah," she breathed. Everything looked so good - burger, pasta, pizza, shakes, that she could hear her stomach growl. Her excitement stopped temporarily upon seeing the prices. One dish in the cafe cost as much as three days' worth of allowance for food.

"You can order anything, don't worry about the price." Connor explained he received funds for his social integration program, and he was putting it to good use. There was nothing else to spend it on except for getting his clothes washed. How convenient would it be to never need food, water, shelter, or sleep? The menu set in front of Connor lay untouched.

"I want the extra-large bovine burger. Add roasted mushrooms and melted cheese, please. Oh, make it double layered. Then... I'll have the strawberry shake too. I'll order dessert later." Aerith made sure she picked the priciest burger. She would have ordered a salad, which was the most expensive item on the menu, but half of the ingredients weren't available.

The server named Chloe nodded then handed them a flyer. "Strawberry shake is a great choice ma'am and with just an extra 500 gil you can upgrade it to natural. We just received a fresh delivery of strawberries from Kalm, so we're discounting it ten percent for the rest of the week."

"Have you ever tried real strawberries, Aerith?" Connor asked and Aerith shook her head. "I supposed it's better than artificial flavors." He turned to Chloe, "we'll take the upgrade, please."

"I can't wait to try," Aerith clapped and bounced on her soft, cushioned seat.

Connor didn't order anything. Chloe was confused initially, but the android whispered something that caused the server to nod and leave and process their order. With eight minutes for food preparation, there was a lot to cover to fill the silence.

"Thank you for last night Aerith. If you didn't intervene, I would have sustained more damage."

"No problem, what matters is that you're okay. Are you?"

"I have self repaired and now my hardware is in optimal condition." Connor tapped the table with his finger and averted his gaze. Yellow lights. "It shouldn't have happened. I miscalculated, I should have found a more effective means of escape or self-defense."

The way he talked about the experience was a lot softer, uncertain of himself. Aerith remembered seeing fear in him the night before, which he never admitted. You're in denial. She looked straight into his brown eyes, and gave him a light squeeze on his shoulder. "Hey, don't beat yourself over it. It's not your fault. Repeat that. 'It's not my fault.'"

"It was. I failed my objectives." His tone shifted into something more neutral, colder.

"Say it: Not my fault." She insisted.

Connor's lights remained yellow. "It's probably accurate to say it's not one hundred percent."

Aerith frowned, then sat back and sighed. Oh well. "They're not just wererats, they're criminals and they ambushed you I presumed. You're outnumbered and they had a taser." Connor still appeared frustrated, her words having no effect. "You really have the right to be upset. Being chased by a group of men and getting tasered sucks! I hate it when it happens."

His LED glowed red for a second before his brows furrowed and his jaw tensed. "How often does this happen? How do you manage to escape?"

"Oh Connor, it's not literal. I didn't really happen like that, people say that when-" Aerith sighed. Explaining language and literature was never her strength, and it's not like she ever needed to. She laughed awkwardly as Connor stared at her with confusion. "Sorry about that. But! It can and I'm prepared for it. I'll also save you if you need me again," she winked and the food arrived, faster than expected.

The two-layered burger arrived steaming, filling the woman's nose with blissful aroma. The melted cheese spilled over to the wooden board the meal was served on, while the mushrooms hardly fit inside the bun held together by a tiny toothpick. She flashed a smile to Connor out of gratitude before taking the piece of art between her hands.

Aerith's sank her teeth onto the soft bun, the hot, creamy cheese, and the juicy patty that was salted and peppered so perfectly. She never tasted meat so pure and natural. She could only close her eyes as she savored her first few bites. "This is… so good…"

When she opened her eyes again, Connor was watching her with utmost concentration, hands clasped together on the table. He seemed fascinated and was content watching her for a few minutes. Aerith decided it's time to give it a nickname: the Connor Tilt. It's similar to how puppies react when you talk to them- the slight angling of the head and intense curiosity. Connor also had the same warm, innocent eyes and Aerith liked them very much.

"I assumed you liked the food?"

"Of course!" Aerith nodded, then Connor went silent again. "Are ye jealous, Connor? Why don't you buy your own burger?" She asked after swallowing a mouthful.

"No, I'm fine. It's just that... " He blinked and briefly looked away, hesitating."I did some calculations. I never thought you can consume a meal of that size."

Aerith laughed. "You have no idea what I can fit inside my mouth." Wait. That might have sounded wrong. Her cheeks flushed and she resisted the temptation to expand the conversation with more innuendos. She sipped on her strawberry shake the first time - sweetness and sourness, balanced by milk. It tasted so familiar, but also something new and amazing that she couldn't describe in words. This is the real thing.

"Aerith?"

"Yes?"

Connor locked his fingers together. "Another reason why I invited you over is that I'd like to propose a partnership."

Ah that was the real reason. Aerith slowed down and gave Connor full attention. "Partnership? That's interesting. Go on."

"Your ability to navigate through Sector 5 is superior to mine. I wish to be effective in performing my tasks and it's necessary to improve my efficiency in covering distance."

"Oh yes, I'm super good." Aerith raised her chin and twirled her curls with her finger.

"I determined that the best approach is to learn from you. If you are willing to help me, you don't need to change your routine. I'll just follow you and help with your flower business if needed."

If Connor was an ordinary guy, Aerith would have taken it as an excuse to spend time with her. "Just curious, why not ask help from one of the army people? They can shoot their way through the monsters and you can scan your power grids in peace."

"I'm a prototype for a line of androids that Shinra envisions, designed to integrate harmoniously with humans and also operate independently. To incite fear is against the purpose of my creation." He quickly looked around and whispered, "Just between the two of us, every day Shinra receives an average of 13 requests to rescue lost army grunts."

"Oh, I didn't know they're that helpless." It's normal to get lost in Sector 5 without a guide. Sometimes Aerith wondered if trash heaps were alive, they just seem to move every day. Her childhood was filled by horror stories of garbage giants that eat cats and kidnap children. Certainly, they weren't enough to keep Aerith inside the house. In fact, she wanted to see one and disappointed that they weren't real. "What do you have to offer in exchange?"

"I can treat you for lunch or dinner. How about a meal every two kilometers covered?"

Aerith could laugh again. Instead, the woman held back and just bit her lip, watching the android's reaction. Two kilometers? There was nothing wrong with the offer, but Connor was just so determined. He meant every word. Before giving her final answer, she called Chloe back and ordered dessert. "Connor?"

"Yes?

"It's a definite yes for me. I'll show you around, not just Sector 5, but all the places in Midgar I know."

Connor gave her a warm smile. "I'm pleased with your answer. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"However, I'll have to say no to the free meals for now. I'll decide on something but not today. Don't worry Connor, I'll be fair." For the third time in the same day, Aerith winked at the android.

"Of course, that's understandable." Connor nodded attentively. "I would prefer to know as early as possible, but adapting to unpredictability is one of my features."

Dessert arrived finally: palm-sized chocobo egg flan. Two spoons were provided as Aerith had requested. "I'll help with 'social integration' as well." She lifted the plate to Connor's eye level, bringing the flan closer to his face, shaking it slightly. "Wiggle, wiggle, wobble, wobble, see that? You should be like this and loosen up a little."

The android's lights went from blue to yellow briefly."Got it. I will adopt a more casual approach."

Aerith tasted a spoonful and relished the flavor. "I assume this is the first time you asked someone out for lunch?"

"Yes, the first experience," Connor revealed he was only activated three weeks prior. As he didn't require sleep, he worked around twenty hours every day, only cooling off his parts every five hours.

"You're doing great," Aerith flashed him a smile. "Connor, I can tell that you worry so much. I want you to know that I'm enjoying this lunch. I'm having a lot of fun right now." He didn't answer. She scooped a small portion of the flan with the other spoon and brought it close to Connor's lips. "Come on, try it. I wanna see how you eat. You can eat right? Everything has a first time."

"Just small samples. For analysis." Connor's eyes went back and forth from the flan to Aerith. With a sigh, he gave in and took the spoon. He ate very slowly, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Goat milk, brown sugar, chocobo eggs, vanilla," he said and licked his lips. He took another bite in the same, elaborate manner. "Minimal bacteria, generally safe for consumption. The food is prepared according to standards." Connor said, nodding and proud of himself.

Aerith giggled and leaned closer. She could order more to keep this all day.

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Hoping for reviews to know if people are reading. So far my outline has 7 chapters, and some might be a lot longer than the others.